Vegetable harvester

ABSTRACT

The pepper harvester has a harvester head with a head frame that is attached to a harvester frame. Each row unit has a right row frame that is pivotally attached to the head frame and a left row unit that is pivotally attached to the head frame. Both row frames carry a helical bar assembly that rotates about a fore and aft axis and forms a slot for the passage of pepper plants, forward ground engaging members, and a forward plant feeder with fingers that rotate about a generally vertical axis and extend through vertically spaced slots in a cylindrical member. Snout assemblies with lower edge ledges for lifting low fruit, direct plants into the feeder fingers and the helical bars. The harvesting head has conveyor assemblies that convey fruit to a shredder for shredding stems, a roller bed for removing stems, a fanning mill and a fruit sizer.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application No.60/026,921 filed Sep. 25, 1996.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to a vegetable harvester and more particularly toa harvester for harvesting podlike fruit of low bush like plants.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The fruit of many plants is harvested by hand pickers today even thoughthere have been numerous attempts to mechanize their harvesting. Theattempts to mechanize their harvest have been unsuccessful for manydifferent reasons. As a result, large numbers of hand pickers arerequired to harvest some vegetable crops. Hand harvesting is hard workthat many people refuse to do. Farmers are not therefore assured ofhaving the required number of people at the right time to harvest theircrops. Hand harvesting of vegetables is generally slow, making itexpensive. Crops which are harvested by hand today are often tooexpensive to compete with similar crops that can be harvested bymachines.

Attempts to mechanize the harvesting of some crops have failed as statedabove. The reasons for failures include the inability of a machine toaccommodate the growing conditions, failure to separate the desiredfruit from the plant, unacceptable plant damage, unacceptable fruitdamage, unacceptable levels of plant and foreign material mixed with thefruit and low machine capacity or reliability.

Several different individuals have attempted over the years to make aharvester that is acceptable for harvesting podlike fruits such aspeppers. These efforts have had very limited success. There were nocommercially acceptable pepper harvesters before the harvester disclosedbelow was developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a commercially acceptableharvester for harvesting podlike fruit such as peppers growing in spacedapart rows. Another object of the invention is to provide a harvesterthat selectively harvests mature podlike fruits such as peppers andleaves immature fruit on the plant to grow and be harvested at a latertime. A further object of the invention is to provide a harvester thatseparates leaves, stems and other foreign material from podlike fruitsuch as peppers after the fruit has been harvested. A yet further objectof the invention is to provide a harvester, which harvests podlikefruit, that has a high capacity.

The harvester for harvesting podlike fruit has a head that includes atleast one row unit with a pair of driven helix assemblies. Growingplants are fed into a slot between the pair of helix assemblies, as theharvester advances along a row of plants, by fingers that extendradially from a pair of generally vertical drive shafts. These fingersprotrude through slots in fixed drums.

The driven helix assemblies are driven in a timed relationship relativeto each other in opposite directions so that the helical bars move in anupward direction when they are closest to the base of the plants beingharvested. Wheels, that roll along the ground adjacent to both sides ofthe row of plants being harvested support the forward ends of the helixassemblies. The rear portions of the helix assemblies are pivotallyattached to the harvester for pivotal movement about a horizontaltransverse axis that allows the forward end of one helix assembly tomove up and down relative to the other helix assembly.

Conveyor troughs are provided on both sides of each pair of helixassemblies to catch fruit separated by the helix assemblies. Conveyorsin conveyor troughs convey fruit to the rear. These conveyors depositthe fruit and other plant material in a primary elevator. A shredder canbe provided to shred crop material other than fruit that is conveyedfrom the harvesting head.

The primary elevator conveys the fruit and other plant material up andto the rear. A stream of high velocity air passes through the fruit asit falls from the discharge end of the primary elevator. This highvelocity air separates some leaves and light trash which is thendirected toward the ground. Fruit and mixed plant material falls fromthe primary elevator onto the upper end of an inclined parallel rollercleaning bed.

The inclined parallel roller cleaning bed has a plurality of drivenrollers with rubber covers. Adjustable bars above the nip betweenadjacent rollers holds fruit away from the nip. Plant material such asleaves and stems is pulled into the nips as the fruit moves parallel tothe axis of rotation of the rollers. The plant material pulled into thenips is pulled from the fruit and discharged toward the ground. A brushbeater conveys fruit from the discharge end of the cleaning bed.

A secondary elevator assembly receives fruit and any remaining plantmaterial mixed with the fruit and elevates the fruit to a sizer. Thesizer shakes the fruit and allows any remaining trash and small immaturefruit to separate and fall to the ground. Cleaned mature fruit isdelivered to a sorting bed by the sizer.

The sorting bed is used for hand sorting the fruit. People stand at theside of the sorting bed, visually observe the harvested and cleanedfruit and manually remove fruit that is unacceptable for any reason.Following sorting, the cleaned and sorted fruit is delivered to anelevating conveyor system. The elevating conveyor system elevates thefruit and deposits the fruit in a storage bin for temporary storage.When the bin is filled, a bin discharge conveyor system discharges thefruit into a vehicle carried container or into storage containers thatcan be handled mechanically.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent in light of the following detaileddescription of an exemplary embodiment thereof as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the harvester;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the eccentric feed fingers and drums andthe front portion of two helix assemblies;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear portion of two helixassemblies;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the discharge end of the primaryelevator conveyor;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the roller bed system, vine and leaf remover;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the rollerbed;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of the wheels supporting theforward end of the center helix assemblies and the plant dividers withis parts broken away and parts removed;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the harvester with partsbroken away;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a modified snout assembly and plantfeed assembly;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of modified snout assemblies and plant feedassemblies with parts broken away;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the drive for helix assembling;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of a modified roller bed with partsbroken away.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the shredder with one side plateremoved;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the fruit sizer with parts brokenaway;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of one of the sizing bar assemblies; and

FIG. 16 is an elevational view of the roller bed drive.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The vegetable harvester 10 was designed to harvest peppers. It has beenfound that with minor adjustments or alterations it can harvest othervegetable crops. For convenience it will be referred to as a pepperharvester even though the machine is not limited to harvesting peppers.

The harvester 10 has a main frame 12 supported by driven front wheels 14and driven and steered rear wheels 16. The rear axle 18 oscillates abouta horizontal fore and aft axis. The engine, which is in an enginecompartment 20 behind the rear axle 18, drives a hydraulic pump 22. Thehydraulic pump 22 supplies hydraulic fluid under pressure to hydraulicmotors that drive the wheels 14 and 16 and harvesting, conveying andcleaning components of the harvester 10. An operator's cab 24 is mountedon an upper forward portion of the frame 12.

A two row harvesting head 26 is pivotally mounted on a row unit supportframe 28 on the front of the harvester 10. The harvesting header 26could be constructed to simultaneously harvest one, two, three, four ormore rows if desired.

A primary elevator 30 conveys harvested peppers to cleaning assemblies.The cleaning assemblies can include a shredder, a high volume airseparator 32, a roller bed 34 for stem and leaf removal, a sizer 36 or500, and a hand sorting bed 38. Cleaned and sorted peppers are conveyedto a storage bin 40. A discharge conveyor system 42 discharges fruitfrom the bin 40 into a transport container.

The harvesting head 26 includes a row unit support frame 28 pivotallyattached to the main frame 12 by pivot 46. Hydraulic cylinders 48 pivotthe frame 28 relative to the main frame 12. The frame 28 includes anintegral tool bar 50. Two helix assemblies 52 and 54 are required toharvest one row of peppers. The helix assembly 52 is rotatably supportedon an outside frame 56 that is pivotally attached to support arms 58 bypin 60. The support arms 58 are clamped to the tool bar 50. The helixassembly 52 includes a central shaft 62 that is pivotally supported by arear bearing 64 and a front support arm 66. Two helix shaped rods 68 areattached to the central shaft 62 by arms 70 that extend radially fromthe central shaft 62. A conical member 72 is attached to the forward endof the central shaft 62 and rotates with the shaft. An expanded metalgrate 73, with an edge member 74, is mounted on the outside frame 56under the helix assembly 52. Edge member 74 defines one side of a plantreceiving slot. A conveyor trough 76 is an integral part of the outsideframe 56. An endless rubber conveyor belt 78 with integral upstandingflights 80 is trained around rollers supported by shafts 81 and 83 andconvey peppers, that have been separated from a plant, to the rear andupward. A plate 82 guides severed peppers down onto the belt 78 andextends from an edge of expanded metal grate 73 opposite the edge member74 to the conveyor trough 76.

A support wheel 84 is journaled on an arm 86 that is pivotally attachedto the front portion of the outside frame 56. An adjustable strut 88holds the arm 86 in a fixed position relative to the outside frame 56.As the harvester 10 moves forward through the field, the support wheel84 follows the surface of the ground and the outside frame 56 pivots upand down about the axis of the pin 60. The strut 88 is shortened to movethe conical member 72 downward toward the ground and is lengthened toraise the conical member up away from the ground.

An inside frame 90 is pivotally attached to support arms 58 by pin 60.These support arms 58 are also clamped to the tool bar 50. A helixassembly 54 includes a central shaft 92 that is pivotally supported onthe inside frame 90 by a rear bearing 94 and a front support arm 96. Tworods 98 formed into helical shapes are attached to the central shaft 92by arms 100 that extend radially outward from the central shaft 92. Aconical member 102 is attached to the forward end of the central shaft92 and rotates with the shaft. An expanded metal grate 104, with an edgemember 106, is mounted on the inside frame 90 under the helix assembly54. The edge member 106 cooperates with the edge member 74 to defineboth side of a plant receiving slot. A conveyor trough 108 is anintegral part of the inside frame 90. An endless rubber conveyor belt110 with integral upstanding flights 112 is trained around rollers atboth end of the conveyor trough 108 and conveys peppers, that have beenseparated from plants, to the rear and upward. A plate 114 guidessevered peppers down onto the belt 110 and extend from an edge of theexpanded metal grate 104, opposite the edge member 106, to the conveyortrough 108.

Two support wheels, 116 and 118, as shown in FIG. 7, are journaled on anarm 120 that is pivotally attached to the front portion of the insideframe 90. An adjustable length strut 122 hold the arm 120 in a fixedposition relative to the inside frame 90. The two support wheel 116 and118, with one in front of the other, allow the head 26 to crosstransverse irrigation ditches. The strut 122 is shortened to move theconical member 102 downward toward the ground and is lengthened to raisethe conical member up away from the ground. If there are no transverseirrigation ditches, only one support wheel is required on the arm 120.

There is a second helix assembly 124 mounted on the inside frame 90 onthe opposite side of the conveyor trough 108 from the helix assembly 54.Another complete outside helix assembly 126 and outside frame 128 with asupport wheel (not shown) cooperates with the second helix assembly 124to form a second row unit for a two row harvesting head 26. A conveyorbelt 79, like the belt 78 is mounted on the outside frame 128. A threerow harvesting head would have an outside frame 56 with one helixassembly, two inside frames 90 each having two helix assemblies 54 and124 and a second outside frame 128 with an outside helix assembly 126. Afour row head would add a third inside frame 90 with two helixassemblies 54 and 124.

Drums 130, 132 and 134 are mounted on the front portions of the outsideframe 56, the inside frame 90 and the outside frame 128, respectfully.Each of the drums 130, 132 and 134 has a plurality of slots 136. A shaft138 is journaled in the drum 130 for rotation about an axis that isparallel to the axis of the drum 130 and offset from the axis of thedrum toward the passage between the helix assemblies 52 and 54. Fingers140 secured to the shaft 138 protrude through the slots 136. A hydraulicmotor 142 is connected to the shaft 138 and drives the shaft 138. Ashaft 144 is journaled in the drum 132 for rotation about an axis thatis parallel to the axis drum 132 and offset from the axis of the drumtoward the plant passage between the helix assemblies 52 and 54. Anotherhydraulic motor 142 is connected to and drives the shaft 144. Thefingers 140 of the shaft 138 cooperate with the fingers on the shaft 144and feed the upper portions of plates toward the passage between twoadjacent helix assemblies 52 and 54. The drum 132 is oval and has asecond shaft 146 that is parallel to the shaft 144. The second shaft 146is offset toward the plant passage between the helix assemblies 124 and126. A hydraulic motor 142 drives the second shaft 146. The shaft 148 isjournaled in the drum 134 for rotation about an axis that is parallel tothe axis of the drum and offset from the axis of the drum toward theplant passage between the helix assemblies 124 and 126. A hydraulicmotor 142 drives the shaft 148 and the fingers 140 on the shafts 146 and148 cooperate to feed the upper portions of plants toward the passagebetween the helix assemblies 124 and 126.

Snout assemblies 150, 152 and 154 cover the wheels 84, 116 and 118 onthe outside frames 56 and 128 and the inside frame 90. These snoutassemblies 150, 152 and 154 protect the plants in the rows from thewheels, lift portions of the plants and delivers portion of the plantsto the drums 130, 132 and 134 and the fingers 140. Tension spring 156 isattached to an arm 158 clamped to the tool bar 50, and to the outsideframe 56. Tension spring 160 has one end attached to an arm 162 clampedto the tool bar 50 and another end attached to the inside frame 90.Tension spring 164 has one end attached to an arm 166 clamped to thetool bar 50 and another end attached to the outside frame 128. Thesetension springs 156, 160 and 164 reduce the weight supported by thewheels 84, 116 and 118 and assist in lifting the head 26 off the groundwhen the hydraulic cylinders 48 are extended and the row unit supportframe 28 is pivoted upward about pivots 46. Chains 157 are provided toadjust the tension springs 156, 160 and 164. The chains 157 also extendthrough the springs 156, 160 and 164 to limit spring elongation when thehead 26 is lifted from the ground for transport.

The helix assembly 52 is driven in a counterclockwise direction and thehelix assembly 54 is driven in a clockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 2and 3 by a chain 168 that is trained around sprockets 170, 172 and 174on central shaft 62, central shaft 92 and a hydraulic motor 176. Thechain 168 is also trained around an adjustable idler sprocket 175. Thehelix assemblies 52 and 54 are timed relative to each other and aredriven so that they tend to lift peppers up and away from the plant. Thechain 168 accommodates some misalignment between the center shafts 62and 92 that occurs when the helix assemblies 52 and 54 move up and downrelative to each other. Adjustments 177 allow the upper ends of thehelix assemblies 52 and 54 to be positioned closer together or fartherapart. The helix assemblies 124 and 126 have a separate drive. The helixshaped rods 68 and 98 lift peppers up and outward with some force. Thehelix assemblies 52, 54, 124 and 126 are therefore enclosed by expandedmetal side panels 178, top panels 180 and front panels 182 that do notinterfere with entry of plants into the harvester 10. These panels 178,180 and 182 keep peppers from being thrown out onto the ground. The toppanels 180 are hinged and can be opened as required for inspection andrepair of the helix assemblies. The panel 180 in FIG. 3 is in an openposition.

The harvesting head 26 is constructed to accommodate the farmingpractices employed. The head 26 shown in the drawing was constructed toharvest peppers planted in two spaced part rows on a raised bed withirrigation ditches on both side of the bed that are about eight inchesdeep. The irrigation ditches make it desirable for the helix assemblies52 and 126 on the outside frames 56 and 128 to be lower than the helixassemblies 52 and 54 on the center portion of the raised bed to preventthe loss of some peppers. The conveyor trough 76 and the conveyor belt78 are lower relative to the helix assembly 52 as indicated by the plate82 then the conveyor belt 110 relative to the helix assembly 54 asindicated by the smaller plate 114.

A bar 184 is pivotally attached to the outside frame 56 and to theinside frame 90 by bolts 186. A bar 188 is pivotally attached to thefront of the inside frame 90 and the outside frame 128 by bolts 190.These bars 184 and 188 allow limited pivoted movement of one framemember 56, 90 or 128 relative to an adjacent frame member 56, 90 or 128.However, the bars 184 and 188 also limit movement of the frame members56, 90 and 128 relative to each other to prevent damage to the helixassembly drives and other parts.

Peppers and other materials severed by the helix assemblies 52, 54, 124and 126 fall onto the belt conveyors 78, 79 and 110 which convey them upand to the rear. Transverse conveyors 192 and 193 received peppers andother plant material from the belt conveyors 78 and 79 and possiblyother belt conveyors depending upon the number of rows the head 26harvests simultaneously. Transverse belt conveyors 78 and 79 and oneconveyor belt 110, if the head harvests an even number of rows ofplants, deposits peppers and other plant material on a head dischargeconveyor 194. The discharge conveyor 194 discharges peppers to the rearand onto the primary elevator 30.

The primary elevator 30 has an elevator trough 196 and a belt conveyor198 trained around a lower roller 408 and an upper roller. The lower endof the trough 196 is pivotally secured to the main frame 12 by trunions404 between front wheels 14 for pivotal movement about a transversehorizontal axis. A pair of rollers 200 are rotatably journaled on ashaft 202 passing through the upper end of the trough 196. A rubberbelting band 204 on each roller 200 is supported by tracks 206. The beltconveyor 198 is driven by a hydraulic motor 208 connected to the upperroller.

A pan 210 encloses the bottom of the trough 196. A fan forces air intothe passage formed by the pan 210 and the trough 196. This air isdischarged under the discharge end of the primary elevator 30 andseparates loose leaves and other plant material from peppers dischargedfrom the primary elevator. The light plant material is directed towardthe ground immediately forward of the rear axle 18 and between the rearwheels 16.

Peppers, heavy plant material and plant material attached to the peppersfalls through the stream of air and onto the roller bed 34. The frame212 of the roller bed 34 has side members 214 and 216, a lower cross bar218 and an upper cross bar 220. Eight steel rollers 222 with centralshafts 224 are journaled on the crossbars 218 and 220 by bearings 226.The number of rollers 222 can be increased or decreased as required. Arubber belting cover 228 with a rough outer surface formed by raisedprojections 230 are secured to the steel rollers 222. The covers 228contact the covers on adjacent rollers 222. The rollers 222 are drivenby a hydraulic motor 219 and a belt 223 trained around pulleys 225 todrive one roller 222 in a given direction and drive adjacent rollers inan opposite direction.

Rods 232 are supported above the nips of the rollers 222 by anadjustable linkage assembly. The linkage includes a bar 234 at each endof the rods 232 which is welded to each of the rods. Two links 236 arerigidly attached to each bar 234 and extend down between the shafts 224of the rollers 222. Arms 237 on the shaft 238 journaled in brackets 240welded to the side members 214 and 216 are pivotally attached to thelinks 236. Rotation of the shafts 238 raise or lower the rods 232relative to the nips of the rolls 222. The shafts 238 are preferablyconnected to a linkage 221 that insures that the rods 232 remainparallel to the rollers 222.

The lower forward end of the side members 214 and 216 are pivotallyattached to the main frame 12 by brackets 217 slightly to the rear ofthe front wheels 14. The upper rear end of the side members 214 and 216are supported by hydraulic cylinders 242 attached to the main frame 12above the rear axle 18.

The hydraulic cylinders 242 are extended and retracted to increase anddecrease the slope of the rollers 222 and to change the time requiredfor peppers to move along the length of the rollers. The tracks 206 aremounted on the side members 214 and 216 and raise and lower thedischarge end of the primary elevator 30 when the cylinders 242 areextended and retracted.

The primary elevator discharges peppers onto the upper ends of therollers 222 near the upper cross bar 220. As the peppers move parallelto the axis of rotation of each roller 222, the rough surface of thecover 228 of the rollers 222 pull leaves, vines and stems into theroller nips. Once these materials are pulled into the nips betweenadjacent rollers 222, the rollers pull the materials from the peppersand discharge them to the ground below the roller bed 34. The rods 232are adjustable up and down as required to accommodate the size of thepeppers being harvested and to adjust the aggressiveness with whichstems are pulled from the peppers. Long stems and vines may wrap aroundthe rollers 222. To reduce this wrapping problem, the hydraulic motorwhich drives the rollers 222 is reversible. The rollers 222 pull stems,leaves and other material into the nips, separate these materials fromthe peppers and discharge them with the rollers driven in eitherdirection.

A beater 244 with two sets of bristles 246 is mounted above the lowerdischarge end of the roller bed 34. The beater 244 is driven so that thebristles sweep peppers from the roller bed 234 and into a transverseconveyor 248. A modified roller bed 34 is shown in FIG. 12. The modifiedroller bed 34 includes a second beater 244. The second beater 244 ismounted near the upper end of the roller bed 34 and just below the areawhere the peppers are deposited on the roller bed. The purpose of thesecond beater 244 is to help control the rate of movement of the peppersalong the length of the rollers 222. In the morning when the plants arewet with dew they tend to move slowly. In the afternoon when the plantsare dry they tend to move rapidly. The transverse conveyor 248 receivesthe peppers and conveys them to an elevator 250 with buckets 252 on theright side of the machine. The elevator 250 elevates the peppers andmoves them toward the rear of the harvester where they are deposited ona sizer 36 or 500.

The sizer 36 has a frame 254 that carries a plurality of bars 256. Thebars 256 are in a slight fan shape with increased space between them atthe discharge end. One end of the frame 254 is mounted on a horizontalcrank shaft. The other end of the frame 254 is carried by rollerssupported by a track 258. The sizer 36 allows foreign objects to fallfrom the peppers to the ground. The bars 256 of the sizer 36 also allowssmall immature peppers to pass between adjacent bars and fall to theground in front of the rear axle. Mature peppers are delivered to asorting bed 38 by the sizer 36.

The sorting bed 38 has a horizontal belt conveyor 259 that conveyspeppers forward on the left side of the machine. Several individualsstand on the platform next to the sorting bed 38 and remove peppers thathave been damaged or that are undesirable due to color or for some otherreason. A cross conveyor 260 behind the operator's cab 24 delivers thecleaned and sorted peppers to the elevator 262. The elevator 262includes an elevator trough 264 with a conveyor belt 266 trained aroundupper and lower rollers and driven by a hydraulic motor 268. The lowerend of the elevator is pivotally attached to the main frame 12 adjacentto the rear of operator's cab 224. The rear portion of the elevatortrough 264 is supported above the upper edge of the front wall 270 ofthe storage bin 40. During transport or storage of the harvester 10, adoor 272 in the front wall 270 of the storage bin 40 is removed and theelevator trough 264 is pivoted down into the opening to decrease theheight of the harvester. During operation of the harvester 10 in thefield, the elevator 262 delivers cleaned and sorted peppers to thestorage bin 40.

Storage bin 40 is emptied from discharge conveyor system 42. The system42 includes a transverse generally horizontal belt conveyor 274 thatforms a portion of the floor of the storage bin 40. The conveyor 274discharges peppers from the right side of the bin 40 and deposits themon a belt conveyor 276. The belt conveyor 276 conveys the pepperstowards the front of the harvester and to a bucket elevator 278. Thebucket elevator 278 receives peppers from the belt conveyor 276,elevates the peppers and discharges them from the right side of theharvester 10. A hydraulic cylinder 280 pivots the bucket elevator 278about a lower end pivot between a raised transport position and alowered discharge position. If desired, the bucket elevator 278 can bemounted on the frame to receive peppers directly from the belt conveyor274 and the conveyor 276 can be eliminated.

During harvesting operations, the hydraulically driven wheels 14 and 16propel the harvester 10 forward in a direction parallel to the rows ofgrowing peppers. The snout assemblies 150, 152 and 154 divide and liftplants and the fingers 140 feed them into the helix assemblies 52, 54,124 and 126. The helical shaped rods 68 and 98 lift the peppers andseparate them from the plants. Belt conveyors 78 and 110 received thepeppers and deliver them to a primary elevator 30. The primary elevatordischarges the peppers into a stream of air. The peppers fall onto theroller bed 34 after passing through the stream of air that removes looselight materials.

The roller bed 34 removes stems, vines and leaves from the peppers anddischarges the removed material from the harvester. The peppers are thenconveyed to the sizer 36 that removes small immature peppers anddelivers mature peppers to the sorting bed 38. Peppers are sorted byhand on the sorting bed 38 to remove damaged peppers and peppers thatare undesirable for any reason. Following sorting, the peppers areaccumulated in the storage bin 40 and then discharged from the harvester10 for transport to market.

Plant feed assemblies 300, 302 and 304 and snout assemblies 306 and 308shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are improved designs from those shown in FIGS.1, 2, 7 and 8 as described above. Each plant feed assembly, 300, 302 and304 includes a cylindrical member 310 with slots 312 that areperpendicular to a central axis of the cylindrical member. A shaft 314journaled inside each cylindrical member 310 for rotation about an axisthat is parallel to an offset from the central axis of the cylindricalmember. Fingers attached to the shaft 314 extend through the slots 312and their tips follow a circular path 316 when the shaft is driven by ahydraulic motor 142 as described above. These cylindrical members 310are identical to the drums 130 and 134 described above.

A V-shaped member 318 is welded to each cylindrical member 310 to form ateardrop shaped housing. The slots 312 also pass through a portion ofthe V-shaped member 318 that is within the circle defined by thecircular path 316.

A mounting plate 320 is welded to each cylindrical member 310 and abutsagainst a support plate 322 on an outside frame 324 or an inside frame326. The mounting plates 320 are pivotally attached to the supportplates 322 by a bolt 328 shown in FIG. 9. A second bolt 330 passesthrough a hole in the support plate 322 and a slot 332 in an upperportion of the mounting plate 320. The slot 332 makes it possible toadjust the plant feed assemblies 300, 302 and 304 to positions in whichthe fingers 140 on the shafts 314 move plant material horizontally tothe rear or to positions in which the fingers lift plant material at thesame time they move plant material to the rear relative to the outsideframe 324 and the inside frame 326. The slots 332 permit adjustment ofthe distance the fingers 140 lift crop material.

The snout assemblies 306 and 308 include structural angle members 334and 336, a metal tip 338 with a skid plate 339 and a cross beam 340. Therear ends 342 and 344 of the snout assemblies 308 are pivotally attachedto two adjacent plant feed assembly V-shaped members 318 by bolts 346that permit the tip 338 to move up and down. The snout assemblies 306 onoutside frames 324 have their outside angle member 348 modified, toreduce snout assembly width, and pivotally attached to the outsideframe.

A plastic member 350 is inserted into the rear portion of each tip 338and secured to the angle arm members 334 and 336 of each snout assembly306 and 308. Horizontal plastic ledges 354 extend horizontally outwardfrom the lower edges of the plastic members 350. Plastic covers 356 areattached to the plant contact surfaces of each plant feed assembly 300,302 and 304 by holders 358 and 360. A horizontal plastic ledge 362extend horizontally outward from the lower edge of each plastic cover356 and is positioned slightly below the horizontal plastic ledge 354.The horizontal ledges 354 and 362 move under low branches of plants andlift these branches and any attached fruit ahead of the helix assemblies364. The horizontal ledges 354 and 362 also catch some fruit that fallsfrom the plants and carries the loose fruit up to the helix assemblies364.

Extending the hydraulic cylinders 48, to lift the harvesting head 26,lifts the support wheels 366. As the support wheels 366 rise off theground, the tongue member 368 contacts the cross beam 340 and lifts thesnout assemblies 306 and 308. If desired, adjustable stops can beprovided on the tongue members 368. The adjustable stops can be adjustedto let the skid plate 339 contact the ground on level terrain or tosupport the snout assemblies 306 and 308 slightly above the ground.

A shredder 400 shown in FIG. 13, for shredding plant stems and leavesthat are broken from plants at times along with the fruit, can bemounted on the lower end of the primary elevator 30. As shown in FIG.13, the primary elevator 30 is a belt conveyor with two spaced apartside frames 402 that are pivotally attached to the main frame 12 bytrunions 404 for pivotal movement about a horizontal, transverse axis,as explained above. An idler roller 408 is journaled on the lower end ofthe side frames 402. An endless conveyor belt 410, with integral uprightpaddles 412, is trained around the idler roller 408 and a driven upperroller.

The shredder 400 has two side plates 414 that extend down over theoutside of the conveyor side frames 402 and are pivotally attached tothe side frames 402 by a pair of bolts 416. A plurality of holes 418 areprovided in the side frames 402 for the bolts 416 to adjust the heightof the side plates 414 relative to the conveyor belt 410 and paddles412. If needed, a plurality of holes (not shown) can also be provided inthe side plates 414 to increase the range of vertical adjustment of theshredder. An adjustment bolt 420 is attached to each side frame 402 andthe adjacent shredder side plate 414 to pivot the side plates about thebolts 416 to further adjust the vertical position of the shredder 400.The adjustment bolts 420 pass through angle irons 422 attached to theside frames 402, and through plates 424 secured to the side plates 414.

A first drum 426 is journaled on the side plates 414 for rotation abouta horizontal axis. A second drum 428 is journaled on the side plates 414for rotation about an axis that is parallel to and spaced to the rear ofthe axis of the first drum 426. A third drum 430 is journaled on theside plates 414 for rotation about an axis that is parallel to the axisof the first drum 426, horizontally positioned between the axis of thefirst drum and the axis of the second drum 428, and verticallypositioned above the axis of the first drum and the axis of the seconddrum.

A plurality of fingers 432 project radially from the outer surface ofthe first, second, and third drums 426, 428, and 430. These fingers 432on each drum 426, 428, and 430 project between the fingers on the othertwo drums. Because of the axial spacing of the fingers 432, along theaxis of each drum 426, 428, and 430, the fingers do not contact eachother. The second drum 428 is adjustably mounted on the side plates 414for adjustment toward and away from the first drum 426 and the thirddrum 430. The fingers 432 can be steel or strong plastic material. Anopening 433 is provided in each side plate 414 for inspection of thefingers 432. A hood 434 covers the top and the front of the drums 426,428, and 430, to confine crop material that is being shred by thefingers 432.

The drums 426, 428, and 430 are driven by a drive sprocket 436 and anendless belt 438 in the directions indicated by arrows 440. The drivesprocket 436 is mounted on the output shaft 442 of a hydraulic motor.The endless belt 438 is preferably a chain that is trained around drivensprockets 444, 446, and 448. The endless belt 438 is also trained arounda fixed idler sprocket 450 and an adjustable sprocket 452. Theadjustable sprocket 452 controls the tension in the endless belt 438.The first drum 426 runs at a slower speed than the other drums of theshredder 400. The second drum 428 runs at a faster speed than the othershredder drums 426 and 430. The third drum 430 is driven at anintermediate speed.

During operation of the shredder, the fingers 432 on the first drum 426and the second drum 428 pick up stems and leaves of crop plants thatproject up above the paddles 412 of the conveyor belt 410. Some of thestems are shredded by the fingers 432 as they pass between the first andsecond drums 426 and 428 because the fingers on the second drum aretraveling at a higher speed than the fingers on the first drum. Thestems and other crop material are conveyed toward the third drum 430 bythe first drum 426 and the second drum 428. The crop material thenpasses between the third drum 430 and the second drum 428. Additionalshredding occurs during this passage because the fingers 432 on thesecond drum 428 are traveling faster than the fingers on the third drum430. The second drum 428 returns shredded material to the conveyor belt410.

Fruit attached to the stems that enter the shredder 400 pass between thefingers 432 and between the first, second, and third drums 426, 428, and430. Stems and leaves attached to fruit are shredded, and then the fruitand the shredded stems are returned to the primary elevator 30.

The sizer 500, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, has a base 502, a frame 504,and a vibrator 506. The base 502 is attached to the frame 12 of theharvester 10 by bolts 508. The frame 504 includes two side plates 510and 512, an end plate 514 welded to both side plates, and cross members516 and 518. A plurality of arms 520 are pivotally attached to the base502 and the frame 504. Damper springs 522 and 524, on bolts 526 thatpass through brackets 528 on the base 502, dampen movement of the frame504 in both directions.

A plurality of parallel, upper sizing bars 530 are secured to an endcross member 532 and intermediate cross members 534. The sizing bars 530are rectangular tubes. The end cross bar 532 is attached to the crossmember 516 by bolts 536. The intermediate cross bars 534 are secured tothe two side plates 510 and 512 by mechanical fasteners 538. The sizingbars 530 are spaced apart a distance sufficient to allow all but thelargest fruit to pass between two adjacent sizing bars. The fruit thatdoes not pass through the sizing bars 530 is generally connected tolarge stems that were not removed prior to reaching the sizer 500. Largematerial that fails to pass between the adjacent sizing bars 530 isgenerally discharged from the machine. A set of upper sizing bars 530,with a different bar spacing, can replace upper sizing bars in the sizer500, if a different spacing is needed.

A plurality of parallel lower sizing bars 540 are secured to an endcross bar 542 and intermediate cross bars 544. The lower sizing bars 540are rectangular tubes. The end cross bar 542 is attached to the crossmember 518 by bolts 546. The intermediate cross bars 544 are secured tothe two side plates 510 by mechanical fasteners 548. The lower sizingbars 540 are spaced apart a distance required to let fruit that is toosmall pass through and fall to the ground. Fruit that is a usable sizeis discharged from the discharge end of the lower sizing bars 540. Theusable fruit generally falls directly onto a sorting bed 259 for handsorting. If hand sorting is not required, the sized fruit can godirectly to the storage bin 40.

A vibrator 506 has a housing 550 that houses an eccentrically mountedweight (not shown). A hydraulic motor 552 drives an input shaft 554through an endless belt 556. The input shaft 554 rotates the eccentricweight inside the housing 550 of the vibrator 506, and shakes the frame504 back and forth. This vibration tends to move fruit, from the end ofthe sizing bars 530 and 540 adjacent to the end plate 514, toward theirdischarge ends. The damper springs dampen the vibration and enhancefruit conveying.

Peppers and other fruit that can be harvested by the harvesting machine10, grow in a variety of sizes and shapes. These fruits are sometimesharvested when they are green. At other times, these fruits are allowedto dry and are then harvested. These variations in the fruit beingharvested, and in the harvesting conditions, may change harvesterrequirements substantially.

The shredder 400 may not be needed in some conditions. A longer rollerbed 34 may be required, or it may be necessary to employ two roller bedsin series when there is excessive crop material other than fruit. Aroller bed 34 can not be used to separate the stems and leaves whenharvesting most dried peppers. Also when harvesting dried fruit, morefans may be required. The sizer 500 and the sorting bed 38 may not berequired for some crops.

The cleaning, sizing, and sorting assemblies described above can beswitched around to change the sequence of cleaning, sizing, and sorting.The capacity for cleaning, sizing, and sorting can be increased,decreased, or even eliminated to meet different and changingrequirements.

The disclosed embodiments are representative of presently preferredforms of the invention, but are intended to be illustrative rather thandefinitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:
 1. An agricultural harvester harvesting head comprising a headframe adapted to be attached to a harvester;a left row frame pivotallyattached to the head frame for pivotal movement about a generallyhorizontal axis, a left side helical bar assembly journaled on the leftrow frame for rotation about a generally fore and aft axis, and a leftground engaging member attached to the left row frame that limitsmovement of a forward end of the left helical bar assembly toward theground; a right row frame pivotally attached to the head frame forpivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis independent of theleft row frame, a right side helical bar assembly journaled on the rightrow frame for rotation about a generally fore and aft axis, andcooperating with the left side helical bar assembly to form a fore andaft slot for the passage of fruit bearing plants, and a right groundengaging member attached to the right row frame that limits movement ofa forward end of the right helical bar assembly toward the groundindependently from the left row frame and the left helical bar assembly;and a drive system for rotating the left helical bar assembly and theright helical bar assembly to remove fruit from a row of plants.
 2. Anagricultural harvester harvesting head, as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe left side helical bar assembly includes a left central shaft and twohelical bars attached to the left central shaft, radially spaced fromthe left central shaft and spaced 180° from each other about an axis ofthe left central shaft; andthe right helical bar assembly includes aright central shaft, and two helical bars attached to the right centralshaft and spaced 180° from each other about an axis of the right centralshaft.
 3. An agricultural harvester harvesting head as set forth inclaim 2 wherein the drive system includes a driven sprocket on the leftcentral shaft, a driven sprocket on the right central shaft, a drivesprocket on a hydraulic motor attached to the harvesting head, and acontinuous drive chain trained about the driven sprocket on the leftcentral shaft, the driven sprocket on the right central shaft and thedrive sprocket.
 4. An agricultural harvester harvesting head as setforth in claim 1 including a left plant feed assembly with a generallycylindrical member attached to a forward end of the left row frame andhaving a plurality of slots extending through a portion of the generallycylindrical member, a left finger support shaft rotatably supported inthe cylindrical member for rotation about a generally vertical axis, anda plurality of fingers attached to the left finger support shaft andextending through the slots;a right plant feed assembly with a generallycylindrical member attached to a forward end of the right row frame andhaving a plurality of slots extending through a portion of the generallycylindrical member, a right finger support shaft rotatably supported inthe cylindrical member for rotation about a generally vertical axis, anda plurality of fingers attached to the right finger support shaft andextending through the slots; and a drive for the left finger supportshaft and a drive for the right finger support shaft that rotate bothfinger support shafts, move the fingers into engagement with plants andfeed plants between the left and right plant feed assemblies.
 5. Anagricultural harvester harvesting head as set forth in claim 4 whereinthe left finger support shaft is adjustably mounted on the left rowframe to be inclined from vertical to a position in which the fingersattached to the left finger support shaft will lift plants as they arefed between the left and right plant feed assemblies; and the rightfinger support shaft is adjustably mounted on the right row frame to beinclined from vertical to a position in which the fingers attached tothe right finger support shaft will lift plants as they are fed betweenthe left and right plant feed assemblies.
 6. An agricultural harvesterharvesting head as set forth in claim 4 including a left snout assemblypivotally attached to the left plant feed assembly; and a right snoutassembly pivotally attached to the right plant feed assembly.
 7. Anagricultural harvester harvesting head as set forth in claim 6 includinga left ledge on a lower edge of the left snout assembly that extendslaterally outward toward the right snout assembly; a right ledge on theright snout assembly that extends laterally outward toward the leftledge; and wherein the left ledge and the right ledge move under plantmaterial and fruit as the harvesting head advances along a row of plantsand lifts plants and fruit for engagement by the left side helical barassembly and the right side helical bar assembly.
 8. An agriculturalharvester harvesting head as set forth in claim 7 that includes a leftrear ledge attached to the left plant feed assembly that cooperates withthe left ledge on the left snout assembly to lift plants and fruit; anda right rear ledge attached to the right plant feed assembly thatcooperates with the right ledge on the right snout assembly to liftplants and fruit.
 9. An agricultural harvester harvesting head as setforth in claim 1 including a left snout assembly pivotally attached tothe left row frame;a left ledge on a lower edge of the left snoutassembly that extends laterally outward to the right and fromsubstantially the front of the left snout assembly to the rear of theleft snout assembly; a right snout assembly pivotally attached to theright row frame; and a right ledge on the lower edge of the right snoutassembly that extends laterally outward to the left and fromsubstantially the front of the right snout assembly to the rear of theright snout assembly.
 10. An agricultural harvester harvesting head, asset forth in claim 1, including a left conveyor mounted on the left rowframe to one side of the left side helical bar assembly for receivingharvested fruit and conveying the fruit to the rear; and a rightconveyor mounted on the right row frame to one side of the right sidehelical bar assembly for receiving harvested fruit and conveying thefruit to the rear.
 11. An agricultural harvester harvesting headcomprising a head frame adapted to be attached to a harvester;a left rowframe pivotally attached to the head frame for pivotal movement about agenerally horizontal axis, a left side helical bar assembly journaled onthe left row frame for rotation about a generally fore and aft axis, anda left ground engaging member attached to the left row frame that limitsmovement of a forward end of the left helical bar assembly toward theground; a right row frame pivotally attached to the head frame forpivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis independent of theleft row frame, a right side helical bar assembly journaled on the rightrow frame for rotation about a generally fore and aft axis, andcooperating with the left side helical bar assembly to form a fore andaft slot for the passage of fruit bearing plants, and a right groundengaging member attached to the right row frame that limits movement ofa forward end of the right helical bar assembly toward the groundindependently from the left row frame and the left helical bar assembly;a drive system for rotating the left helical bar assembly and the righthelical bar assembly to remove fruit from a row of plants; the left sidehelical bar assembly includes a left central shaft and two helical barsattached to the left central shaft, radially spaced from the leftcentral shaft and spaced 180° from each other about an axis of the leftcentral shaft; and the right helical bar assembly includes a rightcentral shaft, and two helical bars attached to the right central shaftand spaced 180° from each other about an axis of the right centralshaft.
 12. An agricultural harvester harvesting head as set forth inclaim 11 wherein the drive system includes a driven sprocket on the leftcentral shaft, a driven sprocket on the right central shaft, a drivesprocket on a hydraulic motor attached to the harvesting head, and acontinuous drive chain trained around the driven sprocket on the leftcentral shaft, the driven sprocket on the right central shaft and thedrive sprocket.
 13. An agricultural harvester harvesting head as setforth in claim 1 wherein the left ground engaging member is a left wheeland the right ground engaging member is a right wheel.